By Randy Arrington
LURAY, July 27 — Jerry Carter thought he had retired after decades of delivering newspapers and coordinating large distribution networks as an independent distributor for The Washington Post, among other daily and weekly publications across the Northern Shenandoah Valley. But when he moved from an island in the Pacific off the coast of Washington back to Virginia earlier this year, The Post came calling him out of retirement. Now, that he has some additional income in post-retirement, he wants to give back to the community and help solve a new problem while “cleaning up the county.”
“Life has treated me well over the years and I am always looking for ways to give back whenever possible,” Carter told Page Valley News recently, “and it’s my hope to find others that might feel the same way.”
With the recent news that The Post and all other newspapers serving Page County were going to end courier delivery of newspapers (only in Page County), Carter sought to help resolve a resulting problem — what to do with obsolete newspaper boxes. He has already had customers upset about the boxes left behind in their yards marking the end of courier delivery — which means the county’s newspaper customers will have to receive their daily papers via the U.S. Mail or pick up a copy at one of the remaining stores that still sell them. The inevitable move by the newspaper industry now leaves an estimated 600 or more “news tubes” next to mailboxes all across Page County.
So, Jerry wants to help.
The “Remove the Tube” effort is aimed at cleaning up the county, while simply offering a neighborly hand.
“No one else is going to offer to do what I’m offering to do,” Carter said. “Whether I pull eight tubes out of the ground or 350 tubes out of the ground, it will make me fell better about myself.”
In a world that seems to grow move divided with each day, Jerry hopes to instill in others that same feeling of fulfillment and sense of community that builds common ground among varying points of view. That’s why this inaugural project is about much more than removing newspaper boxes — it’s about people helping people, and narrowing the perceived gap between them.
The newspaper box removal is the first of several planned projects coordinated through Carter’s new non-profit organization — 1ofUs.Care
“The focus is on finding the good in the world with an emphasis on four counties…in no particular order…Page, Augusta, Shenandoah and Carroll,” Carter told PVN. “The country and the world is becoming increasingly more divided and this will be my attempt to make sure that I have done my fair share to make it a better place.”
On Saturday, Aug. 6, Carter and other volunteers will come on site and remove — or dispose of — unwanted newspaper boxes in Page County at no cost for all those who request it. Those interested in this free service may send an email request to: jerry@oneofus.care
“We simply want to clean up our county as a first step, to give people affected by this an opportunity to get help to beautify their yard,” Carter said. “If we can, we want to help.”
As a second project, Carter wants to add to a previous community project he spearheaded at Page County High School — fencing and other additions and improvements to the softball complex, named aptly after his good friend and longtime coach, Alan Knight.
Coach Knight recently mentioned that he would like to see a structure built to cover the batting cages like he saw at another school.
So, Jerry wants to help.
Carter hopes to complete his second project at the PCHS softball field before the start of the 2023 season. He encourages others interested in helping with the Panther project to send an email at the address listed above.
As he attempts to encourage a “community effort” and volunteerism with each of his projects, Carter asserts that he will bear the brunt of the financial burden involved. He simply wants people to show that they care — about their community, and about one another.
“I’ve dealt with skeptics all my life…I’ve been doing this since I was 16, and people just can’t seem to believe that someone would just do things like this for free without trying to get something out of it,” Carter said. “But I want to attract others that feel this way and see what we can accomplish together…building up our communities, rather than finding ways to tear them, and one another, down.”
After completing that second project in Page County, Carter plans to initiate other projects of good will in Augusta, Shenandoah and Carroll counties through his organization — 1ofUs.Care
“If you want the world to be a better place, you have to do something.”
Those interested in getting involved with 1ofUs.Care may send an email to:
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